While reorganizing the office the other day, Amy June and I stumbled across an old Black Eyes poster buried within a flat-file, used for their European tour back in 2004. The poster was printed in a slightly larger format and limited to just black & white, but the design is fantastic. It somehow perfectly captures the unruly and frantic energy from their live performances, shared by the both band and audience. Seeing the poster made me miss Black Eyes.

Their live shows were incredible and unpredictable (I seem to recall a cymbal flying across the room at the Warehouse Nextdoor on 7th Street, crashing against the wall on the side of the stage). In order to get the full experience, you had to be up front, near the band. The show itself was up front. And the audience got involved, singing/shouting along with “Deformative”: I’m sixteen, driving south from Baltimore! These shows were events not to be missed.

After seeing Black Eyes live, I doubted that the
vibrant and controlled mania I witnessed on stage would actually translate to vinyl, but the first song from their self-released 7 inch, “Some Boys”, made me a believer. A convert and devotee. And as an extension to that first 7 inch, their follow up LP not only matched the single – it went beyond.

It’s a punk record. Not to be confused with some sort of repackaged, retro punk. Punk as in progress, building a lot from a little, pushing music forward while being completely inhibited – the true and absolute opposite of afraid and self-conscious. I liken it to the appeal of discovering Public Image’s Second Edition and realizing that there was a band on Earth clearly breaking ground, while not at all concerned about appeasing a specific market.

I also love the fact that Black Eyes titled a song “King’s Dominion”.

The record is still available on vinyl, CD, and as a digital download. Check it out.